Footsteps in the Sand
by Evelyn Panda
Summary: All through elementary school, Roxas was picked on and humiliated by his class-mates, up through middle school. It's High School now, and he's plotting revenge on every one of them. Rinoa moves back into Plymouth, Michigan, what's her role in all this?
1. Welcome Home

**Welcome Home**

A lot of events occurred in Plymouth, Michigan in the last five years. The numbers of suicide attempts were increasing. People have been reported missing. There have been a number of high school students being killed every year. Nothing has changed since the suicidal attempt of Rinoa Heartilly.

It was early September and the streets were busy due to the start of a new school year. The Seniors were driving to school with their new vehicles that they got for graduating that year. Parents dropping their kids off for school and heading off to their own jobs. Buses picking up students and then there was the people who have to walk and face the cool Michigan mornings.

Rinoa was one of the fortunate people that lived within walking distance of the school. When she approached the school, her chocolate brown irises observed the building that contained students of her past. A thing that she would love to forget, but unfortunately it didn't work that way. Whatever reactions she got, it was probably a reaction that she deserved. And judging by the looks she received, she knew this was going to be a fun year. Fun as in Hell in the making.

Walking through the large oak doors, she felt a shoulder hit hers, making her whip around. She didn't catch the face, but she recognized the back of the girl's head. It was Yuna Hikari. The preppiest bitch in the school. Well, from what she remembered, Yuna always considered her inferior in comparison to herself. She belittled whatever friend she made and turned them into a mindless puppet. Maybe she changed... That was Elementary School after all. 'Yeah, Right.' Rinoa thought with a sarcastic laugh as she rolled her eyes and turned to walk towards her first hour. Lockers were always a waste of time.

Her eyes followed the labeled, metal, signs that hung next to the doors. Looking down at her schedule, she let out a soft sigh. 'Gainsborough... Parenting. Awesome.' She thought the last part with heavy sarcasm. It was a required class, so her Counselor felt it was appropriate for her to take this year. She hasn't even been back for a week and she can already form opinions on these people. The Counselor was a sexist and the girls so far had a stick up their asses.

When she found her destination, she walked into the classroom and carefully observed every inch of the room she was going to spend a whole semester. Her chocolate brown irises landed on a few interesting looking individuals. One of them wore a black hood with cat ears sewn to the top. She didn't get to see his face since the person's head was buried on his arms on the desk. Already she assumed the kid was either tired or was just anti-social. He didn't seem interested in any one in the class. Switching her gaze to the teacher, she let out another sigh before reaching into her messenger bag to pull out her notebook.

"Look who finally decided to show her face."

Her head whipped around at the bitter voice. She narrowed her eyes when she saw that it was Rikku. Another face from her past, a very unfriendly one at that. And, of course, her lackey Payne was right there by her side. Rina pictured what it would be like to wipe that smirk off that silent bitch's face.

"Still can't insult someone without someone being there with you? Why don't you catch me outside of school?" Rina drawled out, not really showing any interest in the blond female. It was her first day back and she wasn't in the mood for any of this shit.

"You think you can come back here and act all bad-ass? Well, guess what, sweetheart it doesn't work that way. I'll give you a reason to move back to whatever trashcan you came from." Rikku growled lowly as she glared down at Rina, leaning over her to try and be intimidating. All of a sudden, she let out a sound of surprise when something flew out of nowhere, smacking her in the back of her head.

"Shut up, whore. You sound better with a dick in your mouth, anyway." Roxas said, his voice made it apparent that he didn't want to be in school right then.

Rinoa turned to look at Roxas with a mildly surprised look. She wasn't exactly expecting someone to just jump in like that. Before she could be caught looking at him, she turned her back to him. She studied Rikku's change of expression when she noticed that Roxas was the one to throw the paper ball. It went from cocky to fearful in a matter of seconds. 'Why was that?' She wondered curiously as she stared up at the blond in slight wonder. After a few seconds passed, she shrugged her shoulders and pretended that her notebook was the most interesting thing in the classroom.

"Whatever." Rikku replied softly at Roxas before throwing Payne a look and they both headed out of the classroom. This pissed Rinoa off instantly. 'What the fuck.. They didn't even have the same class as me and decide to just come in here and interrogate me?' She thought with a soft growl escaping her throat, 'Bitches..' She added as a final thought. Almost as soon as she was done thinking that, the teacher got up from her seat and began her long speech about the curriculum.

Oh yeah, this year was going to be REAL fun...

**Evelyn's Note: And so ends the first chapter! What did you guys think? Please review and you'll get to find out what happens next! =] Plus... It's good for the self-esteem. XD The next chapter will be written by Panda! Who helped and pointed out my mistakes while typing this one. XD Okay, until next time! ^-^ ))**


	2. Rumours

**Rumors**

Three classes had passed already, and Rinoa found herself standing in the lunch room, glancing around and getting a feel for the room, and what kinda of people sat where. So far, she had, had a 'run-in' with Yuna, and a not so pleasant conversation with Rikku. Oh yeah. And she was married to one of her class-mates for a stupid project in her first hour. _Stupid..._ She thought to herself, snapping around when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder, her fists clenched. There was no way in hell she'd let someone get the better of her. However, when her chocolate orbs met a deep, light blue, she paused, blinking a couple of times. Was that a small smile playing on her 'visitor's' face? "Sorry if I scared you." Roxas apologized, motioning to her clenched fists, tilting his head a bit. "A bit of advice, don't eat the cafeteria food." he added indicating to his own lunch bag before passing her, heading for the set of double doors made of glass, leading to a court-yard.

After a couple of steps, he paused and glanced back with a curious look, tilting his head. "Coming? It'll be a good opportunity to discuss our project, and set up a schedule." He then offered, the cat ears twitching with every light movement he made. Noticing her eyes lifting, he smiled a little. "My little brother made it for me. It's warm." he said, turning to face her fully.

"Why'd Rikku just walk off like that in Parenting class?" Rina asked out of nowhere, an annoyed look crossing her features. Roxas blinked, then laughed and turned to walk away, leaving her without an answer, only causing her to glare at him in annoyance, and curiosity. "Hey! Answer me!" she demanded as she chased after him, grabbing his arm when they were outside. "Come on, tell me!" she tried once more.

"It's a long story." Roxas told her.

"We have time." Rinoa pointed out.

"She's afraid of change, I guess." He shrugged as he said this, a very light smirk being hid from her view as he turned a bit, the hood blocking his face. "This way, dear." he then joked, grabbing hold of her hand loosely and leading her to a certain spot in the court yard. Rina's eyes dropped to their hands with a mild look of surprise.

"Um..." She started, then pulled her hand free when they were outside, rolling her eyes. "I know how to walk." Roxas glanced back at her, raising a brow, an amused look crossing his features with something hidden deep within his eyes. "Are you wearing eye liner?"

"Got a problem?"

"What's with the new trend with guys wearing make up now-a-days..." Rina said, more to herself. Roxas tilted his head, then shrugged his shoulders.

"Another one. Should've known." he muttered, turning to walk away, shoving his hands into the pocket of his hoodie and lowering his head. "You're all the same." He said aloud. "You're still the same as I remember, too." He added the last part more to himself, so no one around him heard.

"Excuse me?" Rina asked, quickly walking to catch up with him. "What the hell is your problem? Got a stick up your ass or something?" She asked, taking a step back when Roxas just stopped and turned to face her, his bright blue eyes a dark shade, almost cloudy.

"Don't make this project difficult. Once it's over, I'll leave you alone. The last thing I need right now is to deal with someone like them."

"Well, you're the one that's making it difficult by assuming things. I just moved here, and already everyone's giving me trouble." Rina snapped back, her eyes narrowing a bit. Roxas tilted his head a little, before shrugging and turning away again.

"I'll meet you at your house later tonight." he then said with a wave. 'He doesn't even know where I live...' Rina thought, watching him walk away, before shrugging.

"His problem, not mi..."

"Hello there. I see you're getting to know Roxy." An all too familiar voice spoke from behind her, and she turned to see the face it belonged to.

"Yuna..."

"You're rather daring. He's on trial for a couple of murders. I'd stay away from him if I were you. Oh, but that's right. You don't care about your life, do you?" Yuna asked with a smug smile. Rina narrowed her gaze at her and shifted her weight.

"Oh great, it's the wicked witch from the west." She stated in a bored tone. "You shouldn't spread rumors about people, ya know. It always comes back to bite you in the ass."

"But, I'm not lying, Rinoa. Here, take a look." Yuna started to dig something from her bag, holding it out to Rina. "Read for yourself. Wakka's in a coma, and Tidus died. Roxas is the main suspect."

"Tidus was always a man whore, and I thought you said two murders." Rina shot, taking the paper from her, glancing over it.

"Smart-ass. Fine, don't listen to me."

"Is that why Rikku's terrified of him?" Rina asked, lifting her gaze, raising a brow at the look in Yuna's eyes.

"No, actually. He jumped her a few years ago." she replied.

"I see... Whatever you say, Hikari. Never liked your 'tall-tales anyway." Rina said in a bored tone, turning to walk away. Yuna folded her arms and shifted her weight this time.

"He'll find your house on his own. Watch your back." She warned, turning to meet up with her lackeys.

**Panda's Note;** Woo! That was kinda fun. Wanna know what happens next? Well then, review, kays? And the next chapter will be written by Evelyn. Until next time; Ciao.


	3. Shadows of the Night

**Shadows of the Night**

It was around nightfall before Rinoa could leave the school building. She had to stay behind and talk to her teachers and the principal. And quite honestly, she was taking her time with it. She wasn't in a hurry to get home, anyway. Hoisting her backpack on her shoulder and headed out into the darkness. It wasn't so bad, there were street lights along each side of the road.

When she turned on her street, she could have sworn she heard a noise coming from the bushes. She halted and waited to listen for any more sounds. When she didn't catch anything she continued to walk down the sidewalk. For a split second she thought she heard someone walking behind her. Without waiting, she quickly turned around and her chocolate brown eyes met with a pair of blue ones. A frown formed on her lips when she recognized Roxas immediately as her 'follower'.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

A light look of discomfort at being caught crossed his features. It was immediately hidden with a sheepish smile.

"I'm walking you home?"

Rinoa watched him with disbelief. 'Really? Was this kid for real?' She thought to herself before letting a dry laugh escape her lips. This seemed to throw Roxas off for a second.

"Oh. Really? Since when was hiding in the bushes considered 'walking' someone home?" She retorted with sarcasm lacing her voice. She wasn't stupid. And right now, Roxas was starting to look like a real creep. If he wasn't, then she wasn't sure what to call him.

"Why are you walking by yourself at night, anyway? You could be raped or something."

"So could you."

"...Touche."

For a while they stared at each other in silence. A part of Rinoa's mind told her to not turn her back on him. Another part told her to just walk away. She was going to go with the first one. Though she usually never believed a word Yuna said, you really can't be too careful. Anyone can surprise you. Even the most angelic face could be the most demonic person. Lifting her hand, she shoved a strand of hair behind her ear while stepping back.

"Well, I'm on my street so you can turn around and go home."

"We have that project to work on, remember?"

"Yeah, well... It's..." Rina glanced down to check the time on her cellular phone. "Eight. So, it can wait until tomorrow." She told him with a light shrug of her shoulders.

"Do you think I'm going to pounce you or something?" Roxas asked, lifting one eyebrow at the brunette with amusement.

"Yes. Actually, I do. It doesn't seem so farfetched since you have cat ears." She pointed out, indicating to the ears that were sewn on the hood with an amused look. The indication made Roxas' smile turn into a light frown.

"My little brother made it for me. I couldn't just snip the ears off..." Roxas said this in a light defensive tone.

"Oh, you have a brother?"

"Two, actually. You might know him... His name is Oz. He's a freshman this year."

"... Did you forget that I just moved here?"

At the question, Roxas blinked with slight widened eyes before looking away to pretend something caught his attention. "Oh, look at that. It's a black cat." He tried to get her to put her attention on something else. He twitched when he felt someone tug on the right cat ear on his hood. He glanced up to see it was Rinoa, frowning, he waved her hand away. He never liked it when people played with his cat ears. "Hands off." He said quickly with a light look of irritation.

"What? You asked me to look." Rinoa pointed out with a light smirk playing on her lips.

"Yeah, but I didn't say you could touch!"

His defensiveness made her laugh lightly to herself. She never met a boy who was so sensitive to something like that. In a way, it was kind of refreshing, but she wasn't going to let her guard down. She still didn't know him.

"When's your birthday?"

This took Roxas off guard and he quickly turned to look at her with a confused expression. He tilted his head while lifting his hand to itch the back of his neck. It was out of habit.

"Uhm... December twenty sixth... Why?"

"That's not even two months away... Now I know what to get you for your birthday!" She exclaimed with a smile on her face.

"Huh? You don't have to... Wait... What are you going to get me?"

"You'll have to see on your birthday."

When she said this in a matter-of-fact tone, she didn't notice that they had started walking side by side while talking. The conversation apparently had distracted the both of them from their discomfort. It seemed like only a couple seconds passed by the time they got to Rinoa's house. She stopped by her mailbox before turning to face the blond male.

"I hope your not expecting to walk me to my doorstep."

"Aw. Why not?"

Rinoa laughed a little bit, "Just go home." She said before turning her back to him and started walking to her door. The brunette tried to ignore the feeling that Roxas was watching her the whole time. At first she really didn't think much of it. Glancing back at him, she flicked him a wave before she disappeared into the house.

When Rinoa got inside, she was relieved that no one was awake to confront her. It didn't surprise her since her father, Squall Leonhart, had to get up extremely early for his job. He was a Counselor for people who just got out of Juvenile Prison. And her step-mom, Yuffie Kisaragi-Leonhart, was a neurological surgeon for the local hospital. Both jobs required for them to get up at ridiculously early hours. Rinoa didn't know how they did it. She would have dropped the job and find another one that didn't require getting up at four in the morning almost everyday and not get off until nightfall.

Walking up the stairs to her bedroom, she let her messenger bag drop to the floor. Stepping over it, she plopped down on her bed and kicked off her shoes to the other side of the room. After she did this, she threw herself at her body pillow and nuzzled her face into it and without a second thought she drifted into sleep.

The first day of school was always exhausting.

**Evelyn's Note: **Phew. Well, here's chapter three! ^-^ Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did. Please take a few seconds to click that lovely review button and leave us a comment! It does wonders for the self-esteem, and it'll motivate us to update sooner~ Panda-chan is going to be written by Panda-chan! See you then! ^-^


	4. Welcome to My Life

**Welcome to My Life**

Watching Rinoa walk into the house, Roxas' smile faded and his eyes became half lidded. After a few seconds, he turned and continued down the street, only living a couple of blocks down. Kicking up some of the autumn leaves, he kept his gaze on the ground, his hands shoved inside the pocket of his hoodie again. It didn't seem like it took long before he was standing outside of his house, on the large, wooden porch, just staring at the too-white door. Kicking a random flower pot, _Wonder if Sora made that..._, he turned and picked it up, feeling bad if it was Sora's, before heading off the porch, and walking around back.

Grabbing the rope that was hidden behind some vines that grew on their house, he began to climb. Roxas liked the vines. It gave the back of their house an eery look to it. Climbing up, he was halfway in his window when a voice made him nearly lose his grip on the sill. "About time you got home, Nii-san." Roxas looked up and a blank expression formed.

"You read too much manga." He muttered, climbing in all the way, sitting on the window sill. "Why are you in my room? You know better than that?"

"Because!" The other blond boy chirped. His emerald green eyes held a glint in them. It hinted to Roxas something was up, or that he was in trouble. "Mom and Dad wanna have a word with you." Oz said in a know-it-all voice, holding up a letter. Roxas stood and walked over, snatching it and reading it over.

"Blah blah blah. Roxas refuses to speak, and threatened...What? I did not!" He growled, throwing the paper in the trash.

"Mom has a copy." Oz said, standing and walking for the door, glancing back. He loved giving Roxas a hard time, but at the same time, he knew first hand that something was really wrong with him. He didn't fear him, even if Roxas had put him in the hospital once. He felt bad for him. The playful glint had faded as a concerned look crossed his features as Roxas followed him. The older blond was going to have to face his parents sooner or later. The sooner, the better. It was always that way for him.

"Go to bed, Oz." Roxas muttered, walking past him. He knew that their mother would be a little understanding, but their father wasn't so much. Oz blinked, but shrugged and paused at the stairs, watching Roxas walk down. "I'm home!" He called out, and Oz could already hear their father jumping Roxas' case.

Once in the living room where their parents were, Roxas paused, his eyes glued on the two adults. "It's about damn time. Where the hell were you? You're on probation, you're grounded. You know that." Zack Fair spoke, his amethyst eyes locked with Roxas' cerulean ones. Cloud's sky-blue eyes widened slightly at Zack's sudden outburst, but it wasn't that much of a surprise.

"Yeah yeah yeah. I know, but I had to stay after school, and I walked with someone, since it was dark outside. She lives just down the street." He replied with a dismissive tone, looking towards his mom. "So, what...?" He then asked, referring to the letter sitting in front of Cloud.

"Roxas, honey..." Cloud started, standing up. "If you're innocent, please, just talk to your counselors. I know you couldn't have done anything like that. You're ruining your life."

"Huh, that's funny." Roxas muttered, looking towards the front door. Why didn't he just run?

"Do you think this is a game?" Zack asked, walking towards Roxas, whose eyes narrowed, and he withdrew his hands from his pockets, preparing himself to fight if he needed to. "Do you realize how bad you're making us look?"

"Do you think I care about how it looks on you? You're not that great of a father, ya know."

"Roxas..." Cloud started, worry in his eyes. Roxas never took his eyes off of Zack. It was only a few years ago that Zack had actually taken to beating Roxas when Cloud wasn't around. Cloud knew something was wrong, but he never knew what, and he still wasn't aware of what had happened. And before that, when he was in elementary school, the two adults were almost always fighting.

"Screw off. I have homework to do." Roxas muttered, about to turn his back on them, only to feel the back of Zack's hand cross his face. That's all it took before the blond snapped his attention on Zack and swung back. "Don't _fucking_ touch me! I've had it with you!" Roxas snapped. Oz, hearing this, bolted down the stairs, his eyes widening at the site.

"Stop!" He screamed, quickly running in front of Roxas, his back to Zack, latching to the older blond tightly, saving him from being hit again, and from jumping Zack. Cloud stared wide-eyed in fear, before his eyes narrowed.

"Zack! What the hell?" He snapped, glaring at the man.

"The brat needs to learn his manners." Zack growled, rubbing his cheek, the taste of blood filling his mouth, causing a sour look to cross his face. Roxas' breathing was heavy as he glared at the man, his arms wrapping protectively around Oz's shoulders. He never trusted Zack after he had started beating him, and despite the fights he had with Oz, he would murder the man if he ever laid a hand on him. Or the youngest, Sora.

"Roxas, go to your room, now." Cloud demanded, and Oz squirmed free, pulling Roxas along before he had a chance to disobey.

"You okay?" Oz asked, glancing back halfway up the stairs, making a face when he noticed Roxas staring back over his shoulder. With a pout, Oz tugged on Roxas' hand. "Hey! Here, not there." He said, pulling Roxas into his room, shutting the door behind him, and walking over to the bed with Roxas, standing in front of him. "Roxy?" He asked, getting the older blond to look up at him, and he reached down, running his finger-tips over his cheek. "It's already bruising..." He murmured, gasping when he was pushed back.

"I don't need your pity. Get out of my room." Roxas growled, standing up and walking past him, grabbing his bag, digging in it for something. Oz made a face when he heard the sound of pills moving in a bottle, tilting his head as Roxas tipped the medicine bottle over, popping two into his mouth, swallowing them dry. It was a mood stabilizer, and for his diagnosed bi-polar disorder. "Get out." Roxas ground out, walking back over to his bed with Oz still watching him carefully. When Roxas settled into his bed, Oz walked over and closed the window before walking back for the door, peeking back as he locked it.

"Night, Brother..." He murmured softly, swallowing the lump in his throat. It seemed as if Roxas never cried for himself, and it made Oz sad. Taking in a deep breath, he let out a light sigh, before closing the door behind him, heading for his own room. Roxas waited until he heard the door close before letting his eyes slide closed, letting his body relax as the medicine began to kick in. It didn't take long before he drifted off into a restless sleep.

**Panda's Note;** Meh. Okay, I probably could have done better, but...Blah. But anyways! Reviews make me smile! =3 Chapter five will be written by Evelyn. Enjoy! ;3


	5. Beauty In Walking Away

**Beauty in Walking Away**

Fuck...

The harsh language came from not getting enough sleep and having to get up at six in the morning for dreaded school. The entire night consisted of her tossing and turning and waking up every hour or so. When she walked unto school property, her chocolate brown irises settled on the building. Shrugging her shoulder to readjust the sling of her messenger bag, her eyes followed a group of girls that walked right past her. Yuna led the way, and they seemed to have a glaring match for a few seconds before Rinoa ended by rolling her eyes and walking to the school's entrance.

By the time she reached the staircase the warning bell already sounded throughout the halls. 'Shit...' She thought to herself with irritation as she started up the stairs. Before she could get to the fourth step, she felt a hand grab her arm. In order to keep herself from falling, her hand shot out and grabbed the railing. Trying to rip her arm away, she turned to look at the person who interfered with her getting to class on time.

"I'm going to be late! And I don't feel like dealing with any of your shit."

"Whoa... Hey, calm down. I just wanted to say 'welcome back'. I didn't think you would come back."

Rinoa blinked at the silver-haired male and took in his appearance as she strained to remember who he was. The last thing she expected was a warm welcome considering all of the assholes she's encountered so far.

"It's Riku." He tried, seeing the confusion in her eyes. "Remember? Third grade? You kicked that soccer ball and it nailed me in the head?" His index finger stuck out to point at the back of his head. "I might still have a knot where you hit me. You hit me pretty damn hard." He laughed a little.

"Oh! Ha... Yeah. If I remember correctly, you were in the way of my shot."

A light blush colored her cheeks in embarrassment. How could she forget Riku? They used to be really good friends during third and fourth grade. Now she was wondering what happened during the first half of fifth grade?

"You should have seen me. So it was your horrible aim." He teased a little bit with a smirk. That made Rina grimace at him. All embarrassment vanished. That was always what happened when someone dissed her soccer-playing skills.

"You shouldn't have been in the middle of a soccer field talking to your buddies. Common sense. It's not that hard."

"Well, we were there first. First come, first serve, yes?"

"No." Rina retorted with a narrowed look, but there was a light playful glint in her eyes. She remembered when she had a crush on Riku way back in Elementary school. Instead of swooning over him and writing 'Mrs insert-name-here' she would be taking hits at him. Hits as in kicking soccer balls at his head or if he was in the hall way she would purposely shoulder him and say he was in her way. Yes, she was a bit of a brat and a tomboy back in Elementary school. But she also had her fair share of difficulties at home.

"You are still as mean as ever, you know that, right?" He pouted a little bit and looked at her with sea green irises. In elementary school it would have won her over... Or it would have gotten him a kick to the shin. Or maybe a punch in the face. That's what she did when she was coping with her shyness. But now they were teenagers, and she had time to mature and cope with things a little easier than back then.

"Put the lip away. You can't pull off the puppy look anymore, Riku." She shot down.

"Damn, you're cold." He laughed a little, scratching at the back of his neck while looking at her directly.

Rinoa was about to respond but then the tardy bell interrupted her train of thought. Honestly, Rinoa forgot that she was at school at that moment. She mentally cursed the bell, she wanted to talk to Riku a little more. It was probably one of the most interesting things that happened so far... Well, the previous night with Roxas could rival it. She could, honestly, say that she was never followed around by a kid with a cat-eared hoodie.

"Sorry for making you late." Riku apologized.

"No you're not." She threw him a playful look before she turned her back to him and headed up the staircase.

"Hey, my number is still the same if you remember it." He called out to her.

"That was Elementary school. I'm not a frickin' computer!" Rina shot back from the top of the stairs, staring down at the silver haired male.

Instead of waiting for a reply she hurried down the hallway that lead to Mrs. Gainsborough's Parenting class with a smile on her face. She hoped the blush in her cheeks disappeared by the time she entered the classroom. It was already weird enough with a bunch of classmates staring at her wondering what she was doing that made her late.

Sliding into her desk, she looked up at the chalkboard to see a list of more requirements for the project. 'Really? Couldn't she make up her frickin' mind?' Rina thought bitterly with an eye-roll as she unbuckled her messenger bag to pull out her spiral notebook. Opening it, she began to copy the requirements neatly on the first page. She felt something being thrown at her head, making her twitch with irritation. She tried to ignore it by continuing writing things down in her notebook. Then she felt another thing hit her head. She wasn't just going to let that one go.

Whipping around in her seat, her eyes met with familiar blue ones. "Hey!" She had caught Roxas in the process of making a third paper ball. Roxas' eyes widened at being caught and quickly threw the paper ball at the kid next to him.

"What's your problem?" Axel snarled, narrowing his piercing green irises at Roxas before Rina could even get anything else out. Instead of looking apologetic, Roxas looked over to Axel with a bored look before laughing a little to himself.

"Your face." He chuckled like it was funny to him. It actually was amusing to Rina but she could tell that Axel was pissed off.

"You want to be a smart-ass?" The red-head laughed sarcastically before shooting up from his desk and turned to Roxas.

"At least my ass is more intelligent than that pathetic excuse of a brain you have... If there's anything up there." He added that last part with a snicker. He found that thought so amusing. The comment earned him a short laugh from Axel. But he didn't pay much attention to see the hand come out and grab him by the collar of his hoodie. Axel had pulled him out of his seat without much effort.

"You're funny... How about I give you something hysterical to laugh about." He shoved the blonde into the wall behind his desk and threw a punch at his face. The classroom suddenly came to life at the sudden action. A few got up from their seats to get a better look. Some remained at their seat, afraid to get in the middle of the quarrel.

"Axel! Roxas! To the Principal's office! Now!"

Just as the teacher said that, Roxas had punched Axel in the face and lowered himself and tried to knock him over by charging at his stomach. It was almost successful, but someone had grabbed him by the hood and pulled him off. He didn't see the face of the person that pulled him away, but he assumed it was a security guard considering the muscled arms holding back his arms. Roxas kicked at the air, hitting a couple desks that were within kicking range.

"Let me go! I'm going to fucking kill you!" He tried to squirm out of the hold, but every attempt ended in failure. "Get back here!" He snarled out when he watched Axel walk right out of the classroom, either he was leaving the school premises or he was actually going to face the Principal. He guessed the first one. If that was the case, he wanted to be released so he could chase down the asshole and finish the fight Axel started. But unfortunately it wasn't going to work that way. The security guard had lugged Roxas from his first hour to the Principal's office. It wasn't a quiet trip: all the way there Roxas was growling out profanities and threats at the security guard and towards Axel.

The classroom burst into conversation immediately when the door was shut and Roxas and Axel were out of the room. Rinoa could hear people making bets on who would have won the fight, or talking about the past between Roxas and Axel that made them hate each other so much. She began to wonder how much these kids knew about those two students. Letting out a heavy sigh, she flicked a gaze towards the door with a concerned glint in her eyes. It was for Roxas.

Maybe she would run into him later?

"Alright, class! Go back to your seats and take out your notes from yesterday."

Rinoa tuned out the teacher and focused on her own thoughts as she let her eyes drift to the window that was next to her seat. She watched as Axel walked out of the school and towards the student parking lot.

Asshole...

**Evelyn's Note: **Sorry if this chapter sucked. XP But anyways, reviews are greatly appreciated ! Next chapter will be written by Panda-chan! See the pattern yet? XD See you then!


	6. Fold Your Hands Child

**Fold Your Hands Child**

Roxas had his feet pulled up onto the soft couch that was suppose to trick you into relaxing, his knees drawn up to his chest, his arms wrapped around his legs, his chin resting on his knee, the hood to his hoodie up, his glaring eyes visible to the grayish-blue eyed male sitting behind a desk with a bored look on his face, a scar reaching from his forehead to his cheek below his eye in a diagonal line. The two were staring at each other, neither one blinking yet. And they had been like that for the past thirty minutes. _Thirty minutes to go._ Roxas thought, catching the time through the corner of his eyes. "Do you wanna talk about the out-burst in your first hour then?" The man finally asked.

And instead of answering, Roxas just stared. There was nothing he wanted to say to this man either. They were all the same, in his eyes. They were all robots just pretending to care so they could violate the code of privacy to their patients. They always talked. Always...

"Ro..."

"Bite me." He finally said, lifting his head. "I'm only here for thirty more minutes, and I haven't said anything up to this point, what makes you think I'm going to talk? What makes you think that you'll be able to get anything out of me when the others couldn't. You're just wasting your time, and the damn state is wasting their money on people like you." Roxas spoke, glancing to the clock. He wished he could just walk out, but if he left a minute early, he was going right back to juvenile. Although the thought was welcoming, he had things he still wanted to do.

Silence fell over them, and Squall finally let his eyes slide closed and sighed. "Fine then. Just sit there. It's not like I want to waste my time on delinquents like you that don't want the help. I could be using my time a little more productively. It's teenagers like you that give the good ones bad names, you know. It's a waste of oxygen."

"I hope you remember you're recording this session." Roxas pointed out with a bored tone. "You're suppose to be my counselor. You're suppose to be determined to try and help me instead of putting me down."

"Why would I do that if you won't talk?" Roxas opened his mouth to say something, then smiled.

"Reverse Psychology. Nice try." He said with a small smile. "I have a brother that tries it on me all the time. Won't fall for it with a smug bastard like you." He then said, smirking when it seemed he had won.

"Do you care about your brother?" Squall asked after a moment, and Roxas went to answer once more, but then shut his mouth. He had already said too much, he wasn't going to let this man get the better of him. He had too much at stake. "Alright then. You're not gonna talk. But you realize this looks bad on you."

"Does it look like I care? I'm only here because it's court-ordered. I didn't do it, and my brothers can vouch for me." Slip up.

"Do what?" Squall asked, and Roxas narrowed his gaze.

"You have my file. You should know." He said bitterly, motioning to the folder on the desk. "It should have just about my whole life story." His tone remained bitter. At least he was talking, Squall thought as he watched Roxas stand and start to walk towards the window. When nothing more was said, Squall actually opened the folder and looked through it.

He was only a fifteen-year-old boy, and on trial for one count of murder, and one attempted murder. Looking back up to Roxas, he frowned. "If you didn't do it, why won't you talk to someone? You don't want to be convicted for something you didn't do, right?" He asked, and frowned when he didn't get a response. He wasn't able to see the light smirk playing on Roxas' lips at the time. "Roxas?"

"Can we just sit in silence for the remainder of my stay?" Roxas asked calmly, forcing all emotion to leave his expression and his voice. Squall fell quiet and just sat there, watching Roxas as he stared out the window. There was definitely something wrong with him.

When the session ended, Roxas was more than happy to leave the room without a second look at the man, who had made mental note to ask Rinoa about him. Walking from the building, Roxas started across the street, heading for the hospital. He figured he might as well pay a quick visit to an old acquaintance before heading home. Walking into the building, he knew exactly which room to go to, and found his way there, pausing just at the door, staring at it a moment, before walking in, staring at the body laying almost lifelessly on the bed. "Surprise, surprise, Wakka." He muttered, walking further into the room, taking a seat by his bed.

The sound of the heart monitor was a little aggravating, but he dealt with it. "They should pull the plug, don't cha think, buddy? I mean, it's not fair, keeping you here like this, half dead, only surviving because of all these machines. Ha! I wonder if you still feel the pain from the head trauma. Such a shame. I have so many questions for you, but you can't answer me..." He paused and glanced back to the door, before leaning over and staring dead at the boy's face. "What's it like to be on the receiving end of the pain, huh? God, I wish they would just fucking pull it..." He growled, his hand reaching for the plug, getting a tight hold of it, but not moving otherwise.

A short moment later, he released the chord and sat back, laughing as if someone had just told the funniest joke in the world. "I'm just kidding, buddy!" He chuckled, looking over to Wakka's unconscious body once more. "I should drop some flowers off by Tidus' grave for ya, huh? Welp! I'm off. Sweet dreams." He ended the visit with a sarcastic tone before he got up and started from the room, pausing and giving a slightly surprised look to Wakka's mother as she had just reached for the handle, offering a weak smile and nodding his head. The woman shot him a small glare.

"You should be in a cage." She muttered, her eyes locked with his. She was never fond of Roxas. The blond wanted to just tell the woman off, and tell her all the shit her son had put him through up until the boy's 'accident'.

"Pleasure to see you again too. I thought I saw him twitch." He then said, giving the woman false hope as he walked past, rolling his eyes. And just as he had said, he headed for the store to pick up a small bouquet of flowers before heading to the graveyard. It took him at least an hour and a half before he reached his destination, stopping in front of the grave where Tidus had been buried, dropping the flowers carelessly by the head-stone. "I swear, I'm getting a kick out of all of this, ya know. You both acted so bad-ass, but look at where you are now. You weren't going anywhere in life anyway, were you?" He asked, kneeling down with a small smile. "God, I'm gonna miss the morbid thoughts that ran through my head when I passed you in the halls." His words were carried away with the strong breeze that decided to pass by, kicking up the leaves, making them dance in little circles. "These are from Wakka." He then said, turning to walk away.

He was late getting home as it was, and the last thing he needed was to be confronted by his father. Axel had done set him off, and if pushed any further, he'd probably decide to break into his dad's gun case. _Huh, doesn't sound like a bad idea..._ He thought as he made a few short-cuts here and there.

It was another two hours before he got home, and he decided to try and climb in through his window again, only to find the rope gone. "What the fuck?" He growled, walking around to the front, slamming the front door open. He was _begging_ for someone to make the wrong move. He had a lot of pent up anger just asking to be released. Dropping his bag, he headed into the front room. "ZACK!" He yelled, the anger reaching his tone, causing Sora, the youngest, and Oz to jump and look over the couch. Sora's eyes were wide with fear, and Oz quickly got up.

"Roxas, no!" He tried, walking in front of Roxas, yelping when he was shoved against the wall, Roxas' eyes locked dead on his as his grip on the younger boy's collar tightened, tightening the fabric around his neck. Oz gasped, instinctively grabbing Roxas' wrists, wishing he wasn't wearing the hoodie at that moment, wanting to dig his nails into his skin, trying to free his throat.

"No! Stop!" Sora screamed, the fear reaching his voice.

"What's going...Shit, Roxas!" Cloud called as he walked into the room, hurrying over to pull Roxas off of Oz just as Zack walked into the room, tilting his head.

"I'll take care of him." Zack said in a calm voice, and everyone in the room was either looking at Roxas, or Zack. "Roxas, follow me." He ordered, and Roxas just smirked, following after him. Finally, a bit of alone time to beat the fuck out of Zack. Cloud stared after them, unsure of what he should do. Oz, however, was quick to follow them down the hall, giving Sora a look that told him to run to the neighbors if it got out of hand.

And sure enough, five minutes later, there was a loud crash coming from behind the door the two had disappeared behind. It seemed like only seconds as Cloud and Oz pulled the two apart, and into separate rooms. Zack was sporting a busted lip while Roxas sported a black eye, on top of the bruised cheek from the night before.

**Panda's Note;** Gah! This chapter sucked, but I wanted to get it done. Blah blah blah. Reviews? Opinions? (NICE opinions...) You know the pattern by now, yes? If not, then Evelyn is writing the next chapter. XD


	7. A Girl's Troubled Dream

**A Troubled Girl's Dream**

_Everyone has their fair share of things that they regret doing in the past. Rinoa was one of those people. Except, she wouldn't really call it a regret, if someone asked her about it. Even if her actions could have cost her, her life. It was actually the reason why her mother had decided to take her and move away from Plymouth, Michigan in the first place. It was also one of the reasons why her parent's marriage fell apart. _

_Every day she hated herself more and more for the pain she caused all the kids who didn't deserve the trouble. In order to hide her own turmoil, she had to put down everyone else around her. Particularly the outsiders. They were the easiest targets. The only thing about that was... She was just like them. The insults she threw at them was a reflection of how she saw herself. It didn't make her feel better, she just didn't want to deal with the pain... So a distraction was necessary. _

_So what if someone else suffers?_

_No... It still killed her to even think about the pain that she put the vulnerable kids in. She gave credit to the ones who didn't put up with her shit, but it becomes addicting when the other ones react to it in fear. It's distracting, but when she got home... There was nothing else but for her to lock herself away in her room. She was already getting used to the booming voices that normally came from the living room, where her parents usually argued. If it wasn't the yelling, she heard things being thrown at the walls. Glass shattering, walls being dented by her dad's fists... She counted three holes in the last seven days. _

_What else was new?_

_It was the same as any other afternoon. She sat in her room with an open notebook with lined paper staring up at her. Staring back at the blank sheets, she tapped the end of the pen idly against the oaken surface. When she finally thought of something to write, she lifted her pen, only to be disrupted by her dad screaming at her mom in the other room. She acknowledged it just by glancing to her door to make sure it was locked. And it was. Judging from her dad's yelling, it sounded like he was accusing her mother of cheating with another man. Just because she was a half an hour later than she said she'd be home. _

_Could he blame her?_

_Rinoa couldn't blame her mother if she did cheat on her dad. All he ever seemed to do was put her down and give her a days worth of headaches. She already had her job to do that for her. A sigh escaped her lips as she dropped her pen on the notebook before removing herself from her seat. Walking towards her window, she opened it, a gust of spring air welcomed her just as soon as she did that. Pulling herself upwards, she turned around so she could look straight up at the roof. Letting out another sigh, she reached up and grabbed unto the roof's ledge. This wouldn't have been easy if her room was on the first floor. _

_Maybe they'll be better off without me?_

_The thought crossed her mind as she remembered her dad saying that everything would be different if they didn't have a kid. She knew she wasn't meant to hear it... But it was kind of hard not to when it was being yelled to her mom. Her mom agreed with him. Whether it was out of fear or if it was true, it still felt like someone had just stabbed her heart a million times with a knife. She was ten, but she wasn't stupid. Are all parents so ignorant that they think their children won't get it? Kids are underestimated just because they weren't adults. It was funny considering she's seen adults more immature than a seven year old. _

_Heaving herself up unto the roof, she stood up and turned herself around to look out at the back yard. It was prettily decorated with flowers her mother had planted a couple years ago. Gardening was one of her favorite past-times when she needed to just sort out her thoughts and distract herself from her short-tempered husband. Her chocolate brown irises dropped to look down at the pavement below. The light in her eyes dimmed as she briefly wondered what it would feel like to hit the pavement from jumping off the roof. Subconsciously, her fingers flexed before curling into a fist. The wind made the idea even more inviting. _

_Was it bad that she was already seeking for ways to escape this world and into the next?_

_Anything could be better than this, right?_

_Her chocolate brown irises slid closed as she rehearsed a small prayer. Though she hadn't witnessed the 'miracle' of praying yet, she still did it in hopes that she'd become one of the lucky ones. The lucky one's who are able to have God's attention. Opening her eyes, she lifted them to the cloudless sky, spotting a dove fly over her and land on the chimney that belonged to her house. A soft smile formed on her lips as she recalled the reputation that the Dove upheld. They symbolize purity and hope. Maybe that was a sign that she was doing the right thing? Maybe she never belonged to this world, and belonged to another?_

_Closing her eyes again, she turned her head so it was facing her backyard once again. A sigh escaped as she pushed herself forward with her heels. When she let herself drop from the rooftop, she felt a strong sense of freedom. The wind made her feel so free. But when she took in the sight of the oncoming pavement, she suddenly wanted to be back on that roof. _

_Without a further thought, the world went black. _

Rinoa turned in her sleep, only to roll out of bed and have the wooden floor greet her with a small headache. A groan escaped her lips as she pulled herself up from the wooden floor. A stranger's laugh caught her immediate attention. Whipping her head around to find the source, she narrowed her eyes when she spotted Roxas sitting on top of her computer desk.

"Looks like you had a bad dream. Wanna talk about it?"

A soft growl rumbled from her throat as she quickly grabbed one of the pillows off her bed and chucked it at Roxas' head. The blonde made a soft sound that resembled a squeak with surprise. He tried to block the oncoming pillow by catching but failed by losing his balance and falling to the floor.

"Fuck... You aren't a morning person are you?"

"What the hell are you doing in my room? Get out of here!"

"I'm here to see your dad."

Rinoa was about to reach for another pillow to toss at him, but stopped herself short. 'My dad?' She thought to herself and immediately wanted to push her dad off a cliff for letting his clients roam the house so freely. Seriously... They could steal something or something like that...

"Well, just so you know. My dad's surprisingly happily married. So I don't think you have any reason to see him."

"Are you calling me gay?"

"Are you?"

"... Five percent."

Roxas pushed himself into sitting position before standing upright, looking to Rinoa with an amused look. A short laugh escaped his lips when he noticed the quizzical expression on her face.

"I kissed a boy. Sue me."

"You like who you like. It's not my business." Rinoa mumbled with an eye-roll before walking over to him and she started to shove him towards the door.

"H-hey! Wait! I have a question!" He said quickly just as Rinoa had shoved him out the door. He turned so he could face her, a smile formed on his lips when she waited at the door way.

"What's your question?"

"Bottom or top?" Roxas asked, masking his urge to laugh with a straight face.

The door slammed right into his nose.

**~Evelyn~**


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